Lancaster County commissioners approve $1.2 million federal grant for radios and review 2026–28 budgets

Lancaster County commissioners on July 2 approved a $1.2 million federal Byrne discretionary grant application to fund a SmartConnect radio system and body‑worn cameras for the sheriff’s office and spent the remainder of the meeting reviewing 2026–28 departmental budget proposals and program updates.

The action on the Byrne grant, announced by Chief Deputy Ben Houchin, was approved unanimously after a motion by Commissioner Matt Schulte and a second from Commissioner Sean Flowerday. The appropriation — secured through Congressman Flood and Senator Fischer — is intended to improve radio coverage in underserved areas including Hickman, Firth and Branched Oak and to provide equipment for local schools, the sheriff’s office said.

The bulk of the meeting focused on budget presentations and performance updates. David Cary, director of Planning and Development Services, told commissioners that Lancaster County’s population has averaged just over 1% annual growth during the past 15 years and that the county had added roughly 48,642 residents over that period. Cary said the county experienced its highest five‑year period of residential permitting on record (11,499 new units, averaging about 2,300 annually), with multifamily housing representing about 53% of permitted units over the past decade. Cary described organizational changes since the merger of Planning and Building & Safety, a continuing emphasis on customer service and efforts to shorten commercial plan‑review times.

Randy Jones, director of Aging Partners, asked for a modest increase in county support (1% for FY2027 and 3% for FY2028) to keep pace with rising service demand for the county’s roughly 58,000 residents age 65 and older. Jones also reported a roughly 50% reduction in state and federal transit funding over the past two years for the Rural Transit program and requested about $59,000 in county support for the next budget year to sustain service; program coordinator Mitch Sump said the service operates on scheduled rides and routes are adjusted daily to maximize efficiency.

Pete Kroll, the county purchasing agent, presented plans to modernize procurement by configuring the county’s E1 system to track spending by contract rather than vendor, increase contract oversight and align procedures with an updated purchasing manual. Ryan Wieber, director of Lincoln City Libraries, reviewed a proposed budget that maintains service levels, adds staff for branches and bookmobile service, and reflects debt service associated with a 25‑year municipal bond financing the Central Library renovation; Wieber reminded the board that roughly 84% of library funding comes from the city property tax and that the county contribution is funded through the 15‑cent levy.

Carl Steffen, chief information officer for Lincoln‑Lancaster County Information Services, outlined major IT initiatives, including federal WCAG/ADA digital accessibility remediation (about $200,000 overall, with approximately $53,000 as the county share), an Oracle program manager position, a pilot “critical services support tier” for expedited support to time‑sensitive operations, and a planned shift of more than $500,000 in year‑two costs reflecting a centralized PC replacement program. Steffen also updated the board on the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) modernization, saying Corrections’ new platform is expected to go live in early 2027 and that full migration from the legacy system is planned well before vendor support ends in 2035.

On smaller action items, the board approved a $7,275 payment to First Five Nebraska to support a childcare workforce impact study being done in partnership with the Lincoln Community Foundation, the City of Lincoln and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. Commissioners also approved the meeting minutes and adjourned at 10:41 a.m.

Votes at a glance: Vest moved and Flowerday seconded approval of the June 25, 2026 minutes (vote 5‑0); Schulte moved and Flowerday seconded approval of Item 4A (Byrne grant application) (vote 5‑0); Vest moved and Flowerday seconded approval of Item 4B (First Five Nebraska childcare study funding) (vote 5‑0); Vest moved and Flowerday seconded to adjourn (vote 5‑0).

The board asked staff to return with any additional details requested during department presentations (for example, clarifications on purchasing manual review and the timing and county share of IT remediation costs); the annual transit contract was noted for placement on next week’s agenda.